Junior Jake Longoria speeds past a Delta player.
With a quick start in the first half and shoes tied with yellow ribbons, the varsity boys’ basketball team defeated Delta High School, 59-43, on Dec. 7.
Players wore yellow ribbons to commemorate the loss of lower-school teacher Ariyana Jones.
Coach David Ancrum said the boys came out strong with momentum, and junior Cole Johnson agreed.
Junior Reggie Fan shoots.
“We started off the game with strong momentum and the right mentality,” Johnson said. ”Our passes were there, and our foot was definitely on the gas pedal.”
Though the score was tight in the first quarter with the Cavs ahead only 12-11, by the half they had a commanding lead of 31-17.
Delta never recovered from this deficit even though they made a strong showing in the third quarter, scoring 11 points to the Cavs’ 10.
Although the boys brought lots of energy and speed to the game, they were hoping for more from the crowd. Delta’s crowd was bigger than Country Day’s, packed mostly with girls who had played earlier in the evening.
“It felt kind of empty,” said junior Jake Longoria. “You don’t really notice the crowd when you’re playing unless they are insanely loud. As a player, the crowd has a big effect on how you play. You just feel the energy every time they cheer.”
Junior Reggie Fan and Johnson, top scorers, carried the team. Fan had seven 3-pointers while Johnson scored 12 points.
The team noticed that the line-up of the Delta players looked very different from last year’s.
Junior Cole Johnson attempts another basket.
“I remember a bunch of short kids, and this year they have a ton of tall kids,” Longoria said. “The team this year is comprised of football players, not basketball players.
“None of the shots taken tonight looked very technical. You could definitely tell this was not their sport.”
In practice, the boys will be working on conditioning, getting reps with layups and preventing turnovers, according to Ancrum.
“We need to reduce our amount of turnovers and take care of the ball more,” Ancrum said.
The boys’ next game is Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m. against Leroy Greene High School at home.
—By Briana Davies
